City endorses plan for retail development of 'Franklin Woods'

Michael Barrett Gazette staff GazetteMike

Tuesday

Nov 21, 2017 at 10:05 PMNov 22, 2017 at 3:23 PM

More than two decades of debate over the best use for a patch of wooded land along East Franklin Boulevard apparently ended Tuesday night after Gastonia leaders approved a proposed development for the site.

Gastonia City Council members voted 4-3 to rezone a 14-acre tract across from the Franklin Square shopping center, popularly known as ‘Franklin Woods.’ That change to a ‘highway commercial conditional’ use will allow construction of a retail shopping center with a maximum total square footage of 75,000 square feet, in which the biggest building cannot measure more than 35,000 square feet.

Mayor John Bridgeman and Councilmen Dave Kirlin, Todd Pierceall and Jim Gallagher endorsed the rezoning, while Robert Kellogg, Porter McAteer and David Humphries opposed it. A timetable for construction and the possible tenants of the new retail center have not been publicized.

About 20 residents of the well-established Gardner Park subdivision that borders the property to the south, separated only by Duhart’s Creek, attended the meeting. They were left deflated by the allowance of a commercial venture they fear will decrease their home values and increase flooding potential in an already heavily developed area.

Eric Elliott, a Deerwood Drive resident and Gardner Park spokesman, contended again that FEMA maps for the floodplain there are outdated and cannot be trusted in determining where new construction should be allowed.

“You cannot change the fact that this is a basin and that it needs to be resurveyed,” he said.

‘No tangible evidence’

City Council members delayed a vote on the rezoning two months ago to allow more time for feedback from city stormwater officials. Gastonia Stormwater Administrator Robert Cloninger said Tuesday in his report that floodplains such as the one around Duhart’s Creek are designed to flood, but the proposed development does not pose a serious risk of causing flooding that will damage private property.

“From what we have found, there is no tangible evidence of a true flooding issue in this watershed,” he said.

Elliott criticized that as a “boilerplate” response, since council members referred to flooding concerns last year in striking down a prior development proposal at the site.

The Gastonia Planning Commission voted unanimously in favor of the rezoning proposal in September, but an appeal sent the matter to City Council. Commission members said their recommendation was largely influenced on it being better than the alternative.

The Lineberger family, which owns the land, and their contracted developer, Pearson Properties, have said for months that if the development is not allowed, the 14 acres of trees there will be clear-cut anyway. Under that type of forestry measure, they would not be subject to extensive erosion control measures, which would likely lead to more severe flooding and streambed damage. But an approved commercial development, by law, will require more stringent regulations on controlling erosion and sediment runoff.

Elliott pleaded with council members not to be held hostage by what he has likened to blackmail.

“These woods have meant a lot to the quality of life for Gardner Park, and for making our neighborhood such a great place to live,” he said. “Don’t make your decision based on a hasty fear of a clear-cut.”

‘Least intrusive’

A spokesman for the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation said the agency is formally opposed to the development, while a spokesman for the emerging Carolina Thread Trail spoke of the potential benefits it could bring. Pearson Properties has committed to building a lighted, ADA-compliant bridge that will cross the creek and connect Gardner Park with Franklin Square, although some residents don’t want that.

Joe Pearson of Pearson Properties emphasized again that the proposed development this time around is one-third the size of one that was pitched last year. It will include no ‘big box’ store, and traffic studies have shown Franklin Boulevard will be able to accommodate the new growth.

Developers have also committed to maintaining a continuous screen wall of vegetation and masonry along the back side of the property. And a healthy buffer of trees will be left in place to provide separation from nearby homes, he said.

“A 200-foot buffer that the Linebergers deeded to the city will remain,” he said. “Additionally, there is a 400-foot buffer between the nearest house in Gardner Park and the nearest building we’d be developing. That’s almost a tenth of a mile. Nowhere in Gastonia do you see a buffer that’s even half that.”

Pearson said his company is eager to work with the Catawba Riverkeepers and to include them on the project so they can offer advice as needed on developing the site. He added that the project will create $180,000 to $200,000 in annual new tax revenue for the city.

Councilman Dave Kirlin said it boils down to being the best solution possible.

“I do believe the proposal here is about as good as I imagine it can get,” he said. “With the buffers that are planned, I think it will be the least intrusive use of the property going forward.”

You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or on Twitter @GazetteMike.

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